MONDAY PRAYER: NETZACH-TIKKUN CHATZOT תקון חצות – LESSON WITH RAV MICHAEL LAITMAN
READING: BETWEEN AFTER-MIDNIGHT AND DAWN SUNDAY
Zohar for All. Introduction of The Book of Zohar. The Letters of Rav Hamnuna Saba
Morning Lesson December 24, 2022 Transcription
Transcription is made from simultaneous translation which leaves a possibility for differences in the audio
Part 2:
Reading letters of Hamnuna Saba
1. R. (00:14) Yes, this is one of those articles that were written 2000 years ago when they wrote the book of Zohar.
Reading item 22 Otiot de Rav Hamnuna Saba (00:34)
2. Rav reads: (03:47) “two thousand years prior to the creation of the world” that’s a complete degree…”and playing with the letters”, this is how’s it’s written. He continues… “When the Creator, Bina” the Creator is called Bina, the degree of Bina, he wished to work on the lower ones; Keter and Hochma they don’t work on the lower ones. As we learned now Ima comes out of her state in order to tend to her children, ZON. “When the Creator wanted to create the world…” “the letters were still blocked, incorporated in GAR” this is called being blocked, “and were not known…” the letters still did not come out or illuminate through them, the upper light. He continues “Hochma and Bina…” “…in the two thousand years in Hochma and Bina” meaning ZON still did not come out of Hochma and Bina, “and MAN always causes…” the upper one holds within it the lower one, “This is why at that time…”
3. S. (08:23) It says that even before the worlds were created the Creator enjoyed the MAN of the ZON. So enjoyed what? The way everything will be created or the look?
R. The fact that ZON wanted to connect to the upper degree, from this he enjoys.
S. ZON existed already?
R. In potential.
4. S. (09:10) In the sentence that MAN always causes amusement for the upper one what does that mean?
R. What it means is that no matter what the lower one turns to the upper one with the upper one enjoys it. That’s the meaning of the upper one enjoys the lower one. Because the Creator can give the lower one anything He wants, this is why any request from the lower to the upper one elicits joy in the upper one.
5. S. (10:07) I almost forgot what I wanted to ask. Is this related somehow to the fact that in our work we need to enjoy what’s not yet elicited, the Reshimot?
R. The fact that we are in some contact with the Creator at least has to yield great joy in us.
S. Even though it is not yet executed?
R. So what? It’s the beginning already.
6. S. (10:48) How can we raise a MAN as a group?
R. You should connect to each other and talk about the question, that more or less at least according to words you’ll feel that you want the same thing. And then later try to make an effort to be around this question together and to raise it to the upper one so that the upper one will also feel what you want. And then you’ll feel very quickly, I promise you, very quickly you’ll feel that you awaken the upper one and He turns to you and you are able to connect to Him; that He accepts your deficiency and He starts taking care of you. The main thing is to do this together, we have to think about the upper one together.
7. S. (12:12) It’s written in the previous article that prior to the creation of the world the Creator looked at the letters and played with them. What does it mean that He played with the letters?
R. He was preparing them for the work of the lower ones. Meaning the letters are in us and He used to change them in us and we felt an inner unease, a search to elevate something, to do something. And this is called the Creator’s game that he’s plays with us.
8. S. (13:19) What should we do with these ZON now?
R. This we will learn later.
9. S. (13:37) It is said that the Creator meaning Bina wanted to create the world. Why is Bina called Creator and later it says Bina and Hochma together?
R. If the Creator simply worries for us then it’s the degree of Bina. If He is corrects us then it’s the degree of Hochma and Bina.
S. What does it mean that He just works with us?
R. Let’s say He doesn’t need to give us the light of Hochma, that it’s simply Bina that he’s dealing with us, caring for us. We will learn all these states, it’s not one and not two.
10. S. (14:40) To which Sefira do we ascend by acquiring the Zohar terminology with friends?
R. Each time to a more upper Sefira, to a higher one.
11. S. (15:15) When the Creator played with the letters, will we also learn how to play with the letters some day?
R. Of course, of course, that’s our work, that’s our life that we will work with all of the letters and put together words and sentences and the entire text of the Torah, from the Beresheet in Genesis. All the words, all the letters we will put them together and count them, and accordingly the world will be corrected. By each and every letter we will correct all states in the world.
S. Do you teach this or will we be taught from above?
R. Both.
12. S. (16:44) You said previously that we have to think in the ten what are the conditions by which we can think together in the ten.
R. You have to be together, what else can I tell you? everything we are speaking about, how to come closer to each other.
S. Does it mean physically together?
R. No, Is it what you are asking me about? Then I have nothing to respond to you, if you’re asking about physical closeness. It is written as one man in one heart so what heart are you supposed to enter together?
13. S. (17:50) Thank you very much. What is the spiritual connection? What is the connection between the letters and the creation of the world? Now you also said above the corrections we’re going through, so what is the system of the letters in the corrections?
R. Otiot, letters are like cubes which children put together to make structures, buildings and in this manner from these cubes we build our spiritual structures, our spiritual buildings. another cube and another cube and in this manner we build it together. If in this we help one another then we truly build a mutual home and in it we reveal the Creator. Who is one everyone for all of us.
14. S. (18:57) You told us about the letters and how schemes work. Their schemes in the wisdom of Kabbalah of what is the special information in them but how should we relate to them? Just like Kabbalists relate to them not to read them like a Kabbalist?
R. Listen in the meantime to what I’m saying and absorb it. Later on gradually it will begin to accumulate in you.
15. S. (19:44) We read about the combination of the name of the Creator and now about the letters. What is the difference between the names and the letters?
R. Shemot (names) are already the sum of letters that come to some complete measure. Like a building that is built from blocks from stones, in this manner we put together the words from letters and then after words sentences from the words and so on we will learn this. Why is it like this but we’re built in this manner that in such a manner we both grasp the material and pass it on from one to another.
S. When Kabbalists forget letters, what do they basically forget?
R. That is not for now.
16. S. (20:56) What should non Hebrew students do to feel better about reading the Zohar? What kind of work do you recommend for us to do? Should we create a dictionary?
R. I recommend that you build a dictionary and take a notebook and write, let’s say the word in Hebrew, the transcription, if you need it. Let’s say, Latin letters or however it is good for you and then later on after that the translation, let’s say for you in Turkish and let that be of use for you for a few months until you get used to it and it will become usual for you familiar, To such an extent that you will be able to read the book of Torah, like the Bible and its original form. There is no problem.
17. S. (22:32) Is there a relationship between the letters and the Reshimot?
R. Reshimot is the result of the influence of the light on the desire. Certain influences of the lights on the desire of bills from the desire unique form, words that are cut up parts which are called letters, Otiot
18. S. (23:21) This figure of children building blocks understanding that this way is like children with the blocks because we are performing actions without feeling on understanding so we work like children in the dark until it’s built step after step?
R. Correct. Correct.
19. S. (23:55) Can we say that the letters are incidents in different situations that appear in the relationship between is and the words when we already know the true connections between these events?
R. You could say so you could.
20. S. (24:23) Thank you. What is the purpose of the letters, to correct us? To correct and to build?
R. Letters are the participation of our forces together in order to make actions which are similar to the Creator.
21. S. (25:05) You said that the lower one makes the upper one feel good and yields joy, the question is can the lower one feel that it gives joy above?
R. Yes of course.
S. When and how does that happen?
R. Whenever they want to show you that is how it is and if they don’t want to show it to you in the meantime, because it will corrupt you. Then you won’t see it.
S. Meaning if I am ready, I will be merited in feeling the joy I cause above?
R. Yes.
22. S. (25:49) Why does Bina decide to incorporate with ZON and how can we incorporate with the Creator?
R. Bina wants to incorporate ZON in order to correct the ZON because Bina doesn’t need any correction. Rather, she feels that she can incorporate with ZON to pass on to ZON the force of bestowal and then ZON will be corrected.
Reading Item 22 (30:29)
23. R. (33:45) What else do we not understand yet?
24. S. (33:53) You said something very interesting about thinking together of the upper one. What does it mean together? Here we’re all with many friends here with the world Kli, to be together in one thought of the upper one what does this mean?
R. Every spiritual state or every spiritual degree is divided into 10 in order to open itself, to reveal its coarseness, its desire, the tendency to the root as much as possible and so on. That’s why everything is included in the Ten. Whatever you take, any point in all of the systems of the world, every point has a development into 10. It’s detailed in 10. From here I will learn how to attain the upper one. That if 10 connect together, it doesn’t matter which forms, where they are, what they are, we don’t even have to check this, the main thing is if they can connect together that togetherness is already on a higher degree than each one of them separately. Now in this degree they just attained as one they start discovering that there are more like them and then they work again together into one, to connect as one. And in this way constantly, constantly they can ascend more and more every time to connect into ten as one, another ten as one and so on until we reach the end of all the degrees to the final correction.
S. Now we’re sitting together reading the Zohar together. We’re all coming into this one thought. So how do we get into this one thought? We’re all reading, the whole world being in this one thought using the Zohar. How do we do this, how do we get everybody included?
R. We are reading together and we want to incorporate as one in one system that’s one thing. Second we learn this according to the book that Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai wrote. He’s the first one who revealed the wisdom of Kabbalah in our world. And that’s how we study, according to what Rabbi Shimon and his friends wrote, his students. That’s why in our hands we have the first source of the wisdom of Kabbalah.
S. This brings us to this one thought altogether?
R. Yes, into one thought, into one feeling, into one vessel where we’re all closed together through the nine Sefirot and Malchut and that eventually we will resemble that 110 that was Rabbi Shimon. And each and everyone of us in our tens will somewhat reveal his ten. And through his ten we can get an illumination from above and that will be our attainment in the upper world, the spiritual world.
25. S. (38:57) We’ve studied the Zohar for some days now and in my heart arose this very deep question. Does the Creator want to hide or I am the one escaping Him and afraid to reveal Him?
R. Very nice question. On one hand the Creator is hiding because when we search for Him we acquire vessels along the way on how to reveal Him. That’s why it is worth it for us to chase Him and search for Him. And according to those rules that the Zohar itself is telling us about we have to unite into a ten and together try and find Him; that He as the hiding Creator, that’s what we do. Our whole work is to find the Creator.
26. S. (40:17) It is said here that the ZON had the quality of MAN. What is the prayer that the lower ones raise? How from the two thousand years before the creation of the world who raised that MAN before the creation of the world, what is it about here?
R. From those same vessels that were shattered, it raised on its own from the vessels that shattered. Back then there wasn’t a shattering but we’ll go through all of this.
27. S. (41:05) Sorry for the direct question. How to play with the letters, how to express the letters in the work in our ten?
R. When we want to connect between us in all kinds of forms and all kinds of connections that’s called that we are playing with the letters.
28. S. (41:40) We have such a question, we’ve gathered for a physical meeting and we are always working on the intention to enter the light of the Zohar with an open heart. There’s a feeling that it doesn’t work, the heart becomes stoney. What to do to enter?
R. There is no other way but to come closer. Only when we come closer we can understand that there is no other way, you must be closer to the friends.
29. S. (42:30) Why in the text he explains only about the first letters? In the word Beresheet only Bet. Why not all the letters in all the sentences that come after?
R. We’ll see what comes later.
S. No, I’m asking why is he mentioning only the first letter not the sentence? Why is only this important and not the whole word?
R. We will see that later on, we’ll see it. Let’s advance at his pace, the way he’s explaining it. The main thing is to read and understand what he wants to explain and what he doesn’t want to explain he doesn’t want to. There’s a lot of things he doesn’t explain now because he’s bringing us exactly to the goal.
30. S. (44:05) I wanted to clarify regarding my approach. From the beginning of studying the wisdom, I tried to depict how each friend loves the ten in his way, one through the annulment, the other one through faith above reason, and trying to realize this love, this connection in the four phases and the Sefirot.
R. I recommend doing what’s written in the book and not to invent all kinds of other options. You still can’t imagine what is in this book, all kinds of variations. That’s why do what’s written. Whatever’s written that’s what you do and then you’ll see how you can advance without getting complicated in all kinds of ways.
31. S. (45:13) Why do we learn these letters that seem to break reality apart? As I understood we all need to unite and reach the Creator.
R. But we can understand the letters, the character of every letter and then start putting words together from them. How does it work with us? What’s a word? We didn’t start learning reading from words but from letters. Here too we’re starting from letters, there’s no other choice. You’re an old guy and you forget how you studied in school but you started learning ABC and so on through letters that’s how we’re doing it, we study through letters. Soon we’re going to go into words, then into sentences and then into terms.
S. If I aim everything in my thoughts towards the Creator why is there there a need for the letters?
R. Because it’s not enough to just be in your thought but what is that thought you’re aiming towards the Creator? You need to aim your desire, your intention, your current state, your future state, you need to open your heart, open your emotions that He will correct them. Give the Creator a place to work. Okay?
32. S. (47:35) Earlier you told our friend that he has to absorb, we have to absorb The Zohar, can you explain a bit what is that action?
R. Well, it’s, not right now, we can’t do it right now.
33. S. (48:04) Do we need to relate to the form of the letters or let that go for now?
R. Later, that is the next stage.
34. S. (48:29) What does it mean that the Creator “plays with the letters”?
R. “Playing with the letters”, He is playing with the letters that in all kinds of different forms that He works with the letters, He wants to show us what is in each and every letter and by joining the letters together, as much as we can through this code, we can show our attitude towards Him; and as much as He starts writing on our desires, the letters that we can understand Him, our hearts it is like a board or a piece of paper and He writes on it, and we write to Him on our heart too, that is called “write on the board that is on your heart”, and that is how we write the Creator, that is called “the letters on your heart”.
35. S. (49:50) How to adhere in one heart today and adhere to the Book of Zohar?
R. That is through our studies, we will come closer to it.
36. S. (50:25) When we perfect the connections between us, are we using the letter or playing with the letter, or do the letters help us to perfect our connections?
R. Of course, yes, the letters are the foundation of our connection from between us to the Creator and only with the letters we actually live.
37. S. (51:05) We connect all over the world, do we represent a single ten towards the upper one that draws the light?
R. Yes
S. The letters are in allegory for the spiritual actions, when we start composing the letters we make an action?
R. Yes.
38. S. (51:40) When I listen to you I still can’t understand: the Creator Himself enjoys the letters or only with us, what is that process?
R. Together with us.
39. S. (52:10) Following what you told a previous student, it’s really felt since we started reading The Zohar as if the heart and the mind detached and the heart started understanding, like that heart feels it all. But there is this also yearning to understand in the mind, what we’re talking about, and all those letters, let’s say so to speak, play with a heart. How to intensify the feeling in the heart so that it’s a change of the goal?
R. That’s through the work between with you, with envy, lust and honor, as we’ve learned.
S. Can I pass, convey the feeling of the hearts to the friends?
R. How?
S. That’s what I’m asking, how can we do this through envy, lust and honor?
R. When we do it together, the feeling goes from one to the other to everyone.
S. Can we give some example to envy, lust and honor?
R. No, no, no, you have to work and it will work, you have a deficiency for it so it go, you’ll be able to do it.
40. S. (53:31) I heard that you said before that if we connect then in that togetherness we rise a degree; when we connect together, this is our upper degree and when we come to that degree of together, we discover there is more like us. What is that, is it outside the time?
R. Let’s first reveal the degree that is above us where we all there together, from that it will be clear how to keep ascending.
41. S. (54:18) In the recent time when we read The Zohar, there’s something very special that wasn’t there before, The Zohar used to be kind of nice and pleasant and soothing but friends, some friends are saying it’s a different experience than the first time which has less pleasant, should we learn from that safe?
R. From that they will start to feel how The Zohar is connecting between you, The Zohar is connecting between us, yes.
42. S. (54:59) Are VAK and Zeir Anpin the same qualities?
R. Almost.
43. S. (55:12) How can a ten examine itself, that it has clothing of Hassidim?
R. If they are above their will to receive.
44. S. (55:25) Can we say the more we are included with others the more we evolve?
R. Of course.
45. S. (55:36) What does it mean to the Creator wanted to make the world in bringing out the ZON?
R. The Creator wanted to create the created beings in a way that they will ascend to His degree, that is something He expressed through ZON, when they connect they ascend to His degree.
46. S. (56:04) What does it mean that the Bina incorporates with ZON, how does it happen?
R. Bina incorporates in the ZON by taking the ZON and raising them in order to correct them and fill them so she’s included by them. But Bina herself has no deficiencies, it’s like her mother that whatever the children ask of her, that is her deficiency.
47. S. (56:42) Are all the desires, letters or there are some that are letters and some desires that are not?
R. All the desires are letters.
48. S. (56:55) What are ‘two thousand years’ that are mentioned?
R. It’s a whole degree of ten Sefirot.
49. S. (57:08) Does the ZON have the desire to adhere to Hochma and Bina and by that bring cantonment to the Creator?
R. Correct.
50. S. (57:20) If the vessels of ZON are blocked, how does the MAN rise?
R. If the vessels of our ZON are blocked so there is no MAN, meaning they have to be open.
51. S. (57:41) How is it possible to feel and understand the sentence that “MAN always cause amusement to the upper one”?
R. The upper one like MAN from the lower one because then he can take care of the lower one, that is what amuses Him.
52. S. (57:59) When the Creator plays with the letters this creates the deficiencies to raise MAN?
R. Yes.
53. S. (58:11) Are letters all kinds of connections with the upper one?
R. It’s the correct connection, that through that mutual bestowal is put together, yes.
54. S. (58:26) Should I see each friend as a letter and that brings up the importance of connection?
R. You can say that for now.
55. S. (58:39) Can we say that the letters are the relation of the Creator to us?
R. Yes.
56. S. (58:49) What’s special about the letters Aleph and Bet?
R. There are the first letters of the alphabet, that is specially with them the Creator created the world.
57. S. (59:09) Are the letters qualities of the desire?
R. They are an expression of our desires.
58. S. (59:20) What are ‘the letters of the work’?
R. ‘Letters of the work’ are the desires that are revealed for us to implement.
59. S. (59:41) Are letters and words that we make now that we voice towards each other, do they have a harmful or useful meaning?
R. Yes.
S. So we have to pay attention a lot to what kind of words we say towards each other?
R. Of course, it’s written in many places.
60. S. (01:00:36) When it’s discussed about “the upper one”, are we talking about the next upper degree or it’s always the upper one?
R. The next upper degree.